2 Winners and 2 Losers From Roller Coaster Week for Jerrod Calhoun and the Bearcats

It’s safe to say the Jerrod Calhoun era has started off relatively well, as the Bearcats are off to a 3-1 start in the 2026/27 campaign. Today’s task is to break down what Calhoun’s squad has done well thus far and what they need to fix as the season finally begins to take shape.

Winner: Multiple Scorers

One thing that will be important in order for the Bearcats to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since Mick Cronin in the 2018/19 season is more than one reliable scoring output.

In Cincinnati’s gut-wrenching 63-61 loss to Minnesota, Tulsa transfer Tylen Riley carried the load with 25 points on 17 shots, however, days later against Dayton, George Mason transfer Riley Allenspach put together a stellar 20 points. Following Allenspach was Tyler Tejada, Elijah Perryman and MJ Collins Jr. who put up 16 and 12 points, respectively, while Riley took a back seat with nine points on just five shots.

Loser: Offensive Rebounds

In gritty games like the Bearcats faced against the Gophers, every stat comes under scrutiny, especially rebounds. Overall, Cincinnati was outrebounded 40-28, allowing a whopping 13 offensive rebounds that turned into 11 second-chance points, three more than the Bearcats.

Winner: Feisty Defense

Cincinnati tallied a stellar 15 steals over their last two games, forcing eight against the Gophers and seven against Dayton. On the season, the Bearcats average 9.8 steals per game, good enough for 48th in the nation, a stellar mark.

Collins and Akron transfer Eric Mahaffey lead the way on the year with eight steals a piece.

Loser: Late-Game Management

Of course, the season is still way too early to forecast any real predictions, and as time goes on, the Minnesota loss will sting less and less. That being said, this was still a game where, with 1:10 to play, the Bearcats had the ball and a five-point lead. What ensued is the madness of two turnovers and a 6-0 run for Minnesota to close the game.

Final Thoughts

When taking a look at the well-respected KenPom metric, the Bearcats sit 25th as of publication, a great rating for a team that is patched together by transfers under a first-year high-major coach. And while moral victories should often be frowned upon, the fact the Gophers sit No. 32 in the KenPom, meaning just like Cincinnati, they are well in the mix for a good seat at the NCAA Tournament.

Cincinnati’s next two games come up against Youngstown State and Lowell, two great opportunities to flex their strengths before a daunting matchup against Georgia gets underway.

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